Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Junior.
Men could become like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie “Junior” as soon as “tomorrow,” thanks to scientific advancements in the field of womb transplantation, a leading fertility scientist claims.
Womb transplants, which have been successful in women, shows that the technology is now sufficiently advanced to allow similar operations to be carried out in men, says Dr. Richard Paulson, the outgoing president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. He made his remarks at the organization’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, which was held on October 28 to November 1, The Independent reports.
The doctor said that men who undergo gender reassignment surgery to alter their sex organs could take advantage of the procedure and consider the possibility of a womb transplant, which would allow them to become pregnant with a fetus.
He explained that there was no anatomical reason why a womb could not be successfully implanted into a transgender woman.
“You could do it tomorrow,” he said. “There would be additional challenges, but I don’t see any obvious problem that would preclude it… I personally suspect there are going to be trans women who are going to want to have a uterus and will likely get the transplant.”
The doctor added that while there are differences between the shape of a man and a woman’s pelvis, there would nevertheless be room for the addition of a womb in a man’s body. However, giving birth would be complicated and would likely require a caesarean section, and hormones would have to be given to the individual to replicate changes that occur while a woman is pregnant.
Despite the possibility of delivering an infant, experts warn that initiating a pregnancy in a biologically male transgender woman may be unethical because it poses a “significant” risk to the fetus.
Julian Savulescu, professor of practical ethics at Oxford University, is quoted by The Independent as saying that while there may be a “psychological benefit” to a mother carrying her own baby, it must be “weighed against any psychological harm to the child being born in this atypical way.”
At least five babies have been born to women who received womb transplants in Sweden since 2014.
It is currently illegal in the U. K. (and other countries) to create an embryo for the purpose of implanting it in a man.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
